March came in like a lion but went out like a lamb

March came in like a lion but went out like a lamb. I was within a few hundred dollars of even, then dropped 10K on the Bay 101 WPT. I don’t regret it, though. It was a fun experience (the tournament itself, and the vacation) and, based on the people I played with, a good value. That’s what bankrolls are for. Not that I’m anywhere near rolled for a 10K tournament, but I am overrolled for the 5/10 and 10/20 games that I consider my “regular games”, so I can afford the occasional shot.

The vacation did me some good. After more than a week of no poker, probably the longest I’ve gone since I started playing seriously, I really buckled down and put some hours in. I played a few more tables than usual, maintained a pretty solid game, and got myself pretty well into the black by the end of the month. Of course, with the Spring Championship of Online Poker starting tomorrow, that profit could all be gone by mid-April….

Resolution One: Keep Grinding NLHE Cash Games

Goal 1: Earn $X in NLHE Cash Games

I’m still not on track to hit this goal, but even if I continue at my current rate, I’ll pull down a respectable income by the end of the year.

Goal 2: Earn Supernova status on PokerStars

On track, by the skin of my teeth. On March 30th, Stars notified me that I hadn’t earned enough FPP’s to maintain my Gold Star status, largely because of my vacation. I opened a bunch of 2/4 full ring games and $50 and $100 sit-and-goes to grind FPP’s, and by the end of the night, I was within range of the 7500 FPPs I needed to get Platinum Star. Since I’m going to be playing a lot of SCOOP tournaments this month, I figured that would probably be worth getting, so I put in two more grind sessions yesterday to pick up Platinum at, literally, the 11th hour.

On the one hand, I feel a little like a tool for giving in to this little marketing ploy. Then again, it was a good incentive for me to put in hours, and it made me more money than it made Poker Stars, so I guess the real victims were my opponents!

I’ve got just over 25,000 FPPs now, and I’ll need 100,000 by year’s end to reach Supernova. Now that I see how many FPPs I can earn in a brief period if I set my mind to it, I’m once again confident that I can get this done.

Resolution Two: Diversify My Income Streams

Goal 3: Monetize This Blog

I really need to get around to this. I can’t believe I haven’t posted any book reviews this year. I’ve got one nearly ready to go, and there are a few others I’ve been wanting to read.

Goal 4: Get Back Into Coaching

To those of you who’ve spoken to me about group rates: I’m looking to launch something for the second half of April, after the SCOOP.

Goal 5: Market My Writing

Same old, same old.

Resolution Three: Improve My NLHE Skills

Goal 6: Use Poker Tracker More Effectively

Nothing new to report.

Goal 7: Finish the Year with a 4BB/100 Win-Rate at 5/10 NL.

I’m actually having a problem with my database right now, so I’m not able to look this up. I think though that I’m barely above 0, even though I’ve made a decent amount of money. Just a matter of doing better in bigger games than small ones.

Goal 8: Play 50,000 Hands of Heads Up NLHE

Again, I don’t have the exact number offhand. I will say though that I was wrong when I reported 78,000 hands from last month. My goal is still 50,000 for the year, and I think I’m 30-40% of the way there. It’s actually quite difficult to get action. Most of the regulars who sit alone at six tables at once won’i play me, and the ones who will are mostly guys I don’t want to play. Even Poker Stars sponsored player Vanessa “Lady Maverick” Rousso quit me the other day after I stacked her, telling me that she thought she could find a better spot.

Aaaaand the annual graph, which is getting swingier by the month: